Sectional foundation for mounting signal poles and the like



March 17, 1925. 1,529,895

J. H. LA CHANCE ET AL I SECTIONAL FOUNDATION FOR MOUNTING SIGNAL POLES AND THE LIKE Filed July 21, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fzwezzfis. Jfm; ff la Cfiarzce. I gene G'Zzrznksson.

1,529,895 J. H. LA CHANCE ET AL QE'CTIONAL FOUNDATION FOR MOUNTING SIGNAL POLES AND THE LIKE Filed July 21 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

tan-s95 UNITED STATES. PATENT. comes."

JOHN n. LA CHANCE, or HINSDALE, AND EUGENE GLENNWEssoN, or none-R ILLINOIS.

SECTIONAL FOUNDATION ron'ivroourme SIGNAL ronns AND THE LIKE.

Application filed July 21, 1924. Serial 'No. 1721123.

To all whom it may] concern:

Be it known that we, J OHN H. LA CHANCE and EUGENE GLENN NEssoN, citizens of the United States, and residents of Hinsdale, county of Du Page, and'Aurora, county of Kane, and State of Illinois, respectively, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sectional Foundations for Mounting Signal Poles and the like, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

The present invention aims to provide an improved sectional foundation for use in mounting signal poles, cable posts and like structures, such as in the installation of railway bloc-k signalling systems, etc.

Because ofthe distance between points of installation, and other factors inherent in this particular field, the erecting of concrete foundations for signal poles, etc., has been subject heretofore to certain major difficulties tending to increase the expense and inconvenience of erection undesirably. For example, if a foundation of units form and of adequate size for supporting a typical signal pole is molded complete at the construction yards the foundation is so heavy and unwieldy that the loading thereof onto a railway car generally necessitates a crane or a large number of laborers, and at the point of use the unloading and the proper placing ofthc foundation again necessitates this crane or a large number of laborers. If, in an efi'ort to avoid this, 'the foundation is molded at its point of use, this necessitates the setting up and knocking down'of the forms at each point of erection; requires the transportation of these forms aswell as the cement and the aggregate, perhaps'miles between signal poles; and consumes considerable time in allowing the cement to set as well as makingthe entire operation dependent to a certain extent upon'th'e weather.

We have avoided these difficulties by devising a practicable design of'sectionalized foundation, the several sections of which can be molded in large quantities at the construction yards and then transported direct to the place of erection with'minilnum expense and inconvenience of handling. The component parts of the foundation preferably are made up in standardizedsizes which can be assembled in difierent combinations to provide different weights and sizes of foundations according to the requirements of the particular installation and by virtue of this section-alized construction the differentparts of the foundation can be made sufliciently small to permit "of convenient handling by two or three men.

Our invention also embodies improved means for rigidly joining the several sections together; also the provision of improved means for anchoring the signal pole or cable post'to the foundation.

Referring now to thewaccompanying drawings in which we have illustrated a preferredembodiment of our invention;

Flgure 1 1s a side elevational view of a signal pole mounted upon a se'ctio-nalized foundation of our invention;

Flgure' 2 is a perspective view illustrating the upper and lowerslabs and the intervening pedestals in separated positions ready for assembly,

Figure 3 is a plan view of the assembled foundation;

Figure 4 isa side elevational view of the same, partsbeing broken away in. section, and

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a slightly modified construction and assembly.

Figure 1 illustrates our improved sectionalized foundation erected ina typical in stallation. The foundation is indicated in itse-ntirety at 7, and is shown as supporting a'si'gnal pole 8] The pole proper is usually mounted on an instrument-case 9, which forms a convenient base 'fo-r'anchoring to the foundation 7. The signal l1ghts,.or other signaling means, are indicated at 11, and a ladder 12 may be secured to' one slde of the pole for affording accessto the upper signalling means 11. 1

Referring to Figure 2, the foundation comprises a bottom slab 14- and a top slab 15, both constructed of .reenforced concrete. Interposed between these slabs are a phi-- rality of pedestals 16. There are preferably four of these pedestals, in the form of square columns, these four being spaced apart to locate each pedestal adjacentthe corners of the upper and lower slabs.

Each slab 1415 is reenforcedby a'plurality of reenfor'cing rods 17' extending transversely of theslab in opposite directions, as illustrated best in .Figi'ires 3 and 4.

Each pedestal 16is alsoreenforced by longitudinal rods 18 extending down through thecorners of each pedestal.

Molded rigidly in each pedestal 16 is a section .ofpipe 19 extending centrally.

\ 14. These tubes or pipes form effective reenforcing means for the pedestals 16, and

in assembled position, also reenforc'e the lower and upper-slabs 14 and 15 and act as dowel connections between the sections. Their main function, however, is that of tubular guides for long tie bolts 23 which pass through the slabs and through the pedestals. 7 These bolts are preferably of wrought iron and function to rigidly unite allof the sections of-the foundation together, and to anchor the signal pole or cable post to the assembled foundation. In mold ing the base slab 14, the lower ends of the openings 22are enlarged to form counterbores 24. These counterbores receive nuts or'heads 25 upon the lower ends of the tie bolts 23, these heads preferably abutting against wa shers 26 bearing against the bottoms of' the counterbores. ends 19" ofthe tubes or pipes 19 are proportioned to terminate short of the counterbores 24 so that the endwise tension placed on the tie bolts 23 is operative to draw the base slab 14 into firm seating engagement with the lower ends of the pedestals 16.

The signal pole, cable post, etc., generally has a base member in the nature of a base flange or base plate which forms a convenient attaching member for receiving the upper ends of these tie boltsl Thus the anchoring of different types and styles o-f signal poles, cable posts, etc., merely involves providing appropriate holes "in the base member for receiving the tiebolts. This is illustrated in Figure 1, in which it will be noted that the instrument case 9 i'sformed with a base plate 9",which' is provided with apertures in proper spacing for receiving the upper ends of the tie bolts 23. Nuts 28 thread down over the upper ends of these tie bolts and bear against the base plate 9. The drawing up of these-nuts enables considerable eridwise tension to be placed upon thesetiebolts, which rigidly bind the upper and lower slabs and the pedestals together;

and also firmly anchor the signal pole 8 to the foundation 7, The upper ends 19 of the tubes 19 preferably'terminate short of the top of the upper slab 15 so that: all of the tension obtainable through the tie bolts 28 and nuts 28 is effective for forcing the top slab 15 down on tlie square upper ends of the pedestals'16. i c y It will be understood that the foundation The projecting can be assembled piece by piece in the hole excavated for receiving the same, such as by first placing the lower slab 14 in position and then slipping the pedestals 16 and upper slab 15 down over the tie bolts extending up from the lower slab; or, if desired, theseveral sectional units can be assembled on the ground level and the completed foundation then lowered into its hole. After the foundation has been erected, substantially as shown inFigure 1, earth may be tamped in between the-pedestals 16. This gives in effect a single column having a width on each side equal to the combined,

widths of both, pedestals and the intervening filler of earth. The upper slab 15may project above the ground level to protect the instrument case 9 from water, or this slab may be set below the ground level;

' The sizes of the several-foundationsections may vary widely in accordance with the height and weight of signal pole, cable post, or the like to be supported, but generally the pedestals will range from 3 -to 5' in height and 6" to 8 in thickness. 'The slabs 14 and 15 will range from 1 to 3' on a side and from 4 to 5 in thickness. It

will be understood that the foregoing dimensions "are merely exemplary of sizes found to be practicable for this particular field of utility, from which it will be apparent that all of the sectional units are made of a size that can be handled, readily bytwo or three men, without the necessity of a crane or other machinery.

It will be apparent that within the scope of this concept considerable variation and rearrangement of parts is possible in meeting the requirements of particular installations. By having on hand upper and lower slabs oflarger or smaller size, or having different spacings between the holes 2222 and 2121, and by having different lengths and :sizes of pedestals, different combinations or sections can be conveniently assembled to fit the requirements of any particular installation. As illustrative of one of these modified arrangements, in Figure 5 we have shown a foundation constructed of slabs 14'15 having their holes 21: and 22 disposed in proximity to the corners for setting the pedestals 16' flush with the corners of the slabs. The pipe lengths 19 may also be located in closer proximity to one side of each pedestal than to the other in order concrete bearlngat their ends against said upper and lower sections; a metal tube anchored centrally of each of said spacing members and extending beyond both ends thereof a distance less than the thickness of said upper and lower sections, the said sections being formed with openings for receiving said tube whereby the tube forms a dowel connection between the spacing memher and upper and lower sections; a rod passing through each of said tubes and extending beyond the upper face of said upper member, the said rod being screwthreaded at its end for the reception of a bolt adapted to draw the upper and lower sectionstightly against said spacing members.

In Witness whereof, We hereunto subscribe our names this 12th day of July, 1924.

JOHN H. LA CHANGE. EUGENE GLENN VESSON. Witnesses:

CAMERON A. VVHITsETT, HELEN Gr. DRUNIAK. 

